STEVE BRUCE insists he already knows his team for this weekend’s Wear-Tyne derby.

The Black Cats boss added ten new players over the summer, giving him no shortage of options, but says he is virtually settled on the XI that will line up against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light tomorrow.

After seeing his side leave Liverpool with a deserved point on the opening day of the season, Bruce is unlikely to make many changes.

But, if £5m summer buy from Manchester United John O’Shea recovers from the hamstring injury that kept him out at Anfield, he could come into contention.

“I have had it very much in my mind since early in the week what my team will be but I won’t be revealing what the selection will be ahead of the game,” said Bruce.

“There might be a bit of tinkering between now and kick off but I’d pretty much decided the team when we began our preparations after the weekend.

“The team played really well against Liverpool and I couldn’t have asked for more in terms of character or commitment.

“The way that they came back after going a goal down in front of a fired-up crowd did them credit and we’ll need just those sort of fighting qualities this weekend.”

Bruce handed starts to only two of his new signing against Liverpool, with two more coming on as second half subs.

He explained: “I think people were a little bit surprised that I didn’t include more of my new signings at Liverpool but I thought it was important to give chances to the players that served the club so well on so many occasions last season and got us a top half finish.

“One of the hardest jobs in management is simply trying to pick the right team and they were decisions I did not take lightly before the Liverpool game - there were some tough ones to make.”

Tomorrow’s game is a sell-out, with a crowd of around 48,000 – the biggest attendance in the Premier League so far – expected at the Stadium of Light.

Bruce though has called on both sets of fans to ensure the game is remembered for what happens on the pitch, rather than off it.

He said: “It’s a fantastic game in prospect and I think the fact that we have a sell out at the Stadium of Light so early in the season tells you all you need to know about the importance of the game as far as the supporters are concerned.

“It is one of THE great games and, as I found out last season when I was involved in North East derbies for the first time – it’s incredible.

“The noise and the passion of the fans has to be seen to be believed and it’s something that stays with you.

“What I would ask though is that the fans channel their passion in the right direction and behave in the right manner.”